French Rafale jets successfully intercepted Russian reconnaissance planes over the Baltic Sea.

Two Russian reconnaissance aircraft, the Il-20M and Il-78, which violated international flight regulations, were intercepted by French Rafale fighters near the borders of Latvia, reports zona-militar.com.

The French Armed Forces General Staff confirmed the incident on February 17 as part of air control missions conducted by French fighters in the region.

According to the report, the Russian military aircraft was likely conducting a reconnaissance flight without properly filing a flight plan and with transponders turned off.

This violation triggered a Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) protocol, prompting the French fighters to respond.

After the interception, the Rafale fighters identified the aircraft as Il-20M Coot-A, a variant designed for SIGINT/COMINT missions (signals intelligence and communications intelligence). The Russian Air Force frequently uses the Il-20M to monitor NATO armed forces' response times.

The incident occurred just weeks after a similar situation in mid-January when the French government reported that the Russian armed forces' S-400 air defense system had targeted a French Navy Atlantique 2 patrol aircraft while it was flying over the Baltic Sea.

It was previously reported that Russia had established a new unit within its military intelligence (GRU) for conducting covert operations in Europe and beyond. This was reported by Western intelligence officials quoted by The Wall Street Journal on February 15.